Improvement in machines for finishing horseshoe-nails



2 Sheets-Sheet i.

runs. Machines for Finishing Horseshoe Nails.

Patented Dec. 15, i874.

No.i57,858.

Fig.1

Inve nto'r THE GRAPHIC CQFHOTO'UTHJQFQI PAP-K PLACER! '2 Sheets--Sheet2. l. MILLS.

Machines for Finishing Horseshoe Nails.

N0.\57,858. PatentedDec.I5,l874.

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE. I

JAMES MILLS, or KEESEVILLE, New YORK.

IMPROVEMENT lN MACHINES FOR FINISHING HORSESHOE-NAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,858, dated December15, 1874; application filed May 15, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JAMES MILLS, of Keeseville, in the county of Essexand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improved Machinefor Finishing Horse-Nails; and Ido hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in whieh- Figure 1 is a perspective view ofmy machine. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of thesame. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the hammer-frame; Fig. 5, frontelevation of one of the shearing-dies and resser-foot.

This invention relates to a machine for fin ishing horse-nails, whereinthe nails are held by a carrier, and successively carried under dies,whereby the nail is condensed, trimmed, and beveled; and it consists,first, in the means employed for beveling the point by means of avibrating arm carrying a roller, which acts against a fixed anvil, andin connection with a revolving carrier and holdingnippers; second, inthe devices for opening and holding open the nippers; third, in thegeneral arrangement of devices.

The frame of my machine is supported upon legs or otherwise, as may bemost desirable. An intermittently-moving carrier is mounted upon saidframe, and provided with a series of nipping-holders to seize the nailsby their heads, and securely hold them while they are being transportedby the carrier successively to the dies, whereby the nail is hammered,trimmed, and beveled. The nipping-holders are constructed with jaws,which open laterally, and said jaws are shaped to receive the head ofthe nail and hold it by its edges and shoulders. The opening of saidjaws is effected by the partial rotation of a small cam placed betweenthem, and said partial rotation is effected by means of a segment-platefixed to the frame. The nails are held horizontally, and are carriedsuccessively under a hammering-die, whereby the shank of the nail iscondensed and hardened. Several hammerdies may be placed in the samehammer stock, and the nail be successively carried from one to another,so that it may receive as many blows as may be necessary. From the11amchine.

The methods of operating the devices above referred to may be various;and I do not de sire to limit myself to any particular mechalr ism forthat purpose. I prefer, however, the devices shown in my drawings heretoattached, and which I will more particularly describe.

The frame A is supported upon legs. The carrier-table B is circular, andhas an intermittingly rotary motion upon a vertical axis. Said axis hasits bearings in the main frame, and receives its motion from areciprocating pawl or pusher, W, acting against a ratchet, r, fixed tothe axle of the carrier B. The nippers G are secured to the face of saidtable B in horizontal radial directions, and hold the nails in the sameradial positions. The nippers are made with jaws, which open laterally,and are fitted to the form of the edge of the head, so that the same isfirmly griped. They are secured to the upper surface of the table B inradial positions, and hold the nails in the same horizontal radialposition. A small cam, D, is placed between the jaws G, with a spindleor shaft extending down through the table, and provided with a short armor lever, cl, at its lower end to effect the necessary rotary movementof said cam. This is produced by contact with a segmentplate, E, fixedto the frame beneath the table B. When the lever d engages with saidsegment it is pushed aside, and the cam D is partly rotated, so as tocause the jaws O to open. So long as said lever 01 is in engagement withthe segmentplate the jaws are held open to receive the nails as they arefed by hand or by some proper automatic machinery.

W'hen the nails have been finished they are discharged by the opening ofthe jaws, and this may be upon engagement with the segment-plate E, orwith a fixed stop, F, placed in advance of the segment E. A table, G, isplaced upon one side of the frame, flush with the carrier B, anddirectly over the segment E. The feeding is effected upon said table,the nail being supported thereon in a horizontal position until gripedby the closing of the jaw. The hammer-frame H is erected upon the mainframe A, and supports a horizontal guide-frame R, in whichthe hammer ramor stock 1 moves up and down. At the lower end of the stock I one ormore hammer-dies, i, are placed, and corresponding anvil-dies aresecured to the anvil-bed immediately beneath said hammers. The distancebetween the hammers is equal to the angular distance over which eachnail is moved by one reciprocation of the pawl W, and, therefore, thenail is carried from one anvil to another and submitted to thesuccessive strokes of the several hammers. A, spring, T, may be employedto intensify and quicken the stroke of the hammer. The maindriving-shaftJ is mounted in boxes secured to the back of thehammerframe H, and may be rotated by any proper or convenient power.Said shaft carries a tripping-cam, S, the revolution of which with saidshaft raises the hammer-stock, and permits the same to drop as itescapes from the beak of the cam. The blow may be intensified to anydesired extent, and may be adjusted by the spring T. The main shaft alsocarries. a cam,U, whereby the lever V is oscillated, to cause the pawlto reciprocate and rotate the table B. At the extremity of the mainshaft there is a miterwheel, which meshes with and drives a similarwheel on the counter-shaft Y. Said counter-shaft has its bearings at thetops of posts a a. On the inner sides of said posts a a there are guidesfor the gate 0, which is moved up and down by an eccentric, I), upon theshaft Y. Said gate 6 carries the shearing and trimming punches and theyielding presser -feet, by which the nail is held from turning upon thedie while being sheared. The shearing-die K is adjustably set in .astock attached to and moved by the gate 0. Said shearing-die operatesupon one edge of the nail only, and the presser L, also set in andmoving with said gate, holds the nail firmly upon the anvil while saiddie K is iii-operation. The shank of the presserfoot L passes upwardthrough the gate 6, and is kept down by a spring, I, so that saidpresser-foot comes in contact with the nail in advance of theshearing-die, and is enabled to rest While said gate continues to movethe spring l, holding it firmly upon the nail the while. The spring Zhas a slit in its free end, which clasps a rectangular part of the shankof the presser-foot, and keeps the same from turning. When released fromthe presser-foot L, the nail is carried to a trimming-die, M, alsocarried by the gate 0, and the point is thereby out off to length. Thesucceeding movement of the carrier removes the nail to the shearing-dieN and presserfoot 0, in all respects similar to the die K and foot L,and by said die the other edge of the nail is trimmed. At the extremityof the shaft Y there is a crank, g, and connecting-rod h, jointed to theend of a rock-shaft, k, which carries and operates the vibrating arm Q.This latter arm is set transversely on the end of said rock-shaft, andcarries, at its lower end, the beveling-roller set in a block, q, whichis made adjustable in said arm Q, to regulate the distance of the rollerp from the anvil t, which supports the nail against the action of saidroller.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. Thecombination, with the intermittinglyrevolving carrier B, having nippers(l, of the vibrating adjustable roller-arm g, bevelingroller 1), andanvil q, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the nippers 0, constructed to clasp the nail byits edges, as set forth, the opening-cam D,with its lateral arm (I, andthe fixed segment E, substantially for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with an intermittingly rotating carrier holding thenails horizontally and radially, of a reciprocating hammer, twoshearingpunches, each acting on one edge only of the nail, tworeciprocating presserfeet to hold the nail while being sheared, a cutting-punch to trim the nail to proper length, and a vibrating roller tobevel the point of the nail, in the manner set forth, all substantiallyas described.

JAMES MILLS.

Witnesses:

IRA S. SMITH, J. E. MAnKs.

